Chinese word

顽固

Pronunciation

Pinyinwán gù

Meaning

  • adjectivestubborn

Example

他对自己的意见很顽固，很难改变。tā duì zì jǐ de yì jiàn hěn wán gù hěn nán gǎi biàn

He is very stubborn about his own opinion, and it is hard to change his mind.

Illustration for 顽固 (stubborn)

More examples

这种旧观念很顽固，短时间内难以改变。zhè zhǒng jiù guān niàn hěn wán gù duǎn shí jiān nèi nán yǐ gǎi biàn

This old idea is very stubborn and difficult to change in a short time.

Core concept

A position held so firmly that persuasion, evidence, or change cannot easily move it.

Common phrases

  • 顽固的性格wán gù de xìng gé

    stubborn character

  • 顽固的态度wán gù de tài dù

    stubborn attitude

Similar words

固执gù zhí: Not wanting to change personal views or behavior and being unwilling to listen to others.
倔强jué jiàng: Standing firmly by personal beliefs and showing a strong refusal to yield.
死板sí bǎn: Treating ideas or methods as fixed and failing to adapt them when circumstances change.

Definition in Chinese

用于形容人或事物坚持原有想法或做法，不容易被说服或改变，常带有否定评价。yòng yú xíng róng rén huò shì wù jiān chí yuán yǒu xiáng fǎ huò zuò fǎ bù róng yì bèi shuō fú huò gǎi biàn cháng dài yǒu fǒu dìng píng jià

Word origin

顽固 (wángù, "stubborn") combines 顽 (wán, "obstinate") + 固 (gù, "firm or fixed"), so its parts reinforce the sense of holding fast without changing.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, applying this adjective to a person usually sounds critical, while applying it to a policy or habit criticizes its resistance to revision.

Other meanings

  • inflexibleadjective
  • headstrongadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 顽固性wán gù xìngstubbornnessnoun
  • 顽固者wán gù zhěstubborn personnoun

Word lists with this word